Study information

Systemic Service Design

Module titleSystemic Service Design
Module codePOLM811DA
Academic year2025/6
Credits30
Module staff
Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

12

Number students taking module (anticipated)

50

Module description

This first module in the Systems Thinking for Service Design MSc Programme will offer an overview of the programme and an introduction to service design through a systemic lens. The module will commence with an outline of programme structure and expectations, followed by requirements set out by Skills England. This includes key aspects of apprenticeship duties, such as understanding the Standard, building a portfolio of evidence, and preparing for End-point Assessment. You will then be introduced to the foundations of service design, including the theory, principles, and history of the discipline. Particular attention will be given to its intersection with systems thinking, exploring how services can be understood as interconnected systems. You will engage with key approaches such as user-centred design, service mapping, and ideation, as well as frameworks to connect interventions with wider organisational and societal outcomes. To ground this learning, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own organisational experiences and to consider how systemic service design concepts and tools might be applied in practice to improve services and promote more sustainable change.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To introduce students to systems thinking for service design and to build critical understanding of project and change management.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Synthesise and critique theories of Service Design (K1).
  • 2. Synthesise and evaluate principles of Systems Thinking (K2).
  • 3. Appraise service design methods and tools (e.g., service mapping, ideation, UX) to analyse and improve existing service or develop new service (K3, K4, K5, K7, K13, K15).

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 4. Critically apply systems thinking and service design principles to explore improvements to existing services (S4, K12).
  • 5. Develop and present a service design proposal for a workplace context, using Soft Systems Methodology (K12, K13, K14, K19).
  • 6. Demonstrate consideration of the role of the service designer in environmental sustainability (K19, B6, S22).

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 7. Employ service design tools to generate, test, and evaluate alternative solutions with consideration of cost, value, risk, and sustainability (by critically assessing principles of agile and project management) (K7, K13, K14, K19, S6).
  • 8. Demonstrate critical thinking: present and defend strategic analyses in multiple forms (written, verbal, digital) based on case material, desk-based and empirical research (S1, S4, S17, B5).
  • 9. Demonstrate technological and digital literacy: identify and apply relevant technologies to source, process and communicate accurate information (K15, S6, S18).
  • 10. Communicate complex service design concepts clearly and persuasively in both visual and written formats for different audiences (S18, S21, S25, K15).

Syllabus plan

  • History and development of service design.
  • History and development of systems thinking.
  • Main concepts in systems thinking (feedback, relationships, causality, boundaries, emergence, etc).
  • Main concepts in Service design (user journey, collaboration, theory of change, service maps, etc).
  • The Service Designer Standard and EPA Plan.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
2070300

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning and teaching activities20Online masterclass events (6hrs including breaks) and drop-in sessions (1hr)
Guided independent study70Private study – reading and preparing for the module and the assessment by leaning into prescribed activities in ELE
Placement/Study Abroad300Apprentice applying SD concepts to work context

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Poster Presentation5-7 mins3,4,8Peer-reviewed

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Poster401500 words equivalent1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10Written
Report 602,500 words3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
PosterPoster (40%)1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10Next re-assessment period
Report Report (60%)3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10Next re-assessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

  • Suoheimo, M., Jones, P. H., Lee, S.-H., & Sevaldson, B. (2025). Systemic service design. Routledge.
  • Jackson, M. C. (2019). Critical systems thinking and the management of complexity Chichester: Wiley.
  • Bordoloi, S., Fitzsimmons, J. A., & Fitzsimmons, M. J. (2019). Service management: operations, strategy, information technology (Ninth edition). McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Rossman, J. R., & Duerden, M. D. (2019). Designing experiences. Columbia University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

  • ELE – https://ele.exeter.ac.uk/

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Key words search

Service Design, Systems Thinking, Management Systems

Credit value30
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

7

Available as distance learning?

Yes

Origin date

21/10/2025